The Minister for Agriculture, Mr Walsh, said today he was awaiting the results of samples taken from lambs in Wexford with "some anxiety".
He said on a "scale of worry", the results from Slaney Meat Plant in Bunclody were higher than those from the farm of Mr Tony Keenan in Piedmont, Riverstown, Co Louth. The results from both sets of samples are expected tomorrow.
Mr Walsh said at a press conference this afternoon the Keenan farm was just inside the exclusion zone on the Cooley Peninsula and if those results were positive for foot-and-mouth then the zone would be extended - probably to cover the whole of the peninsula.
The Minister also said the 100 per cent set-aside for farmers in the Louth exclusion zone was being extended to cover all eligible land in the county. The payment rate for set-aside, where farmers do not sow cereals, is £307.67 per hectare.
So far 20,192 sheep and 600 cattle have been culled in Co Louth. Army marksmen, assisting Dúchas officials, have also killed wild deer and goats in the Cooley mountains.
Mr Walsh welcomed the announcement by the Northern Ireland Minister of Agriculture, Ms Bríd Rodgers, that the cull of 2,500 sheep from the 3 kilometre zone around Meigh in South Armagh has begun.
He said the sterile corridor from Proleek, the source of the State’s only confirmed outbreak of foot-and-mouth, to Meigh is still operational.
The Minister also said tagging of sheep would begin in May, giving traceabilty of sheep from the farm to the consumer. This would give the industry a major advantage in Europe, Mr Walsh said.
He also called on farmers and the public to stay vigilant and to keep using disinfectant and hygiene measures.
Officers of the task force set up to monitor the crisis will meet the Irish Horse Racing Authority and the Turf Club tomorrow to decide when racing can resume. Mr Walsh said he would abide by the guidelines they believe necessary.